


truth will out

by loonyloopyluna



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Secrets, maybe an identity reveal?? but it's not explicit so it's up to you, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 19:52:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10974213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonyloopyluna/pseuds/loonyloopyluna
Summary: Marinette and Alya have been dating for a few months, and during a calm spring afternoon, they have a nice little talk about something interesting they learned recently. It's definitely some surprising stuff.





	truth will out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [secretagentspydetectiveninja](https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretagentspydetectiveninja/gifts).



Marinette had a secret. And it wasn’t that she was Ladybug; it was far more exciting than that.

Alya had a problem with getting in the way, something that was eventually going to give Marinette permanent heart palpitations, and just that afternoon, she’d found herself on the wrong side of the monster of the week, Veritas. And more importantly, her truth ray.

But never mind that. Everyone was fine, now, and safe, and Marinette and Alya were having some quality, undisturbed, hangout time.

“I hate that I actually like XY’s new album,” Marinette complained as Alya switched on the radio. The day was pleasantly warm, and the window was open to let the sounds of the city drift in on the breeze. Vehicles rushed by, people talked on the sidewalks, across the street in the park children shrieked with delight, and above it all drifted the cotton candy sound of pop music from Marinette’s window and the windows of her neighbors. Different songs mixed together in a wonderful cacophony, and they both shared the same thought: it sounded like summer.

Never mind the fact that they were still in school for another month.

Alya was flipping through one of Marinette’s fashion magazines, browsing, mostly, to see the outfits within and tear them out to tack on their inspiration board. Marinette may have excelled at fashion design, but it was Alya who really knew how to put an outfit together.

“Why do you hate that?” Alya asked absently, punctuating each sentence with a  _ rrrriiiip _ . “I mean, yeah, his first album sucked, but he’s obviously getting better.”

Marinette made a face. “I know,” she said. “But he’s such a jerk.”

Alya put the magazine down. “Wait, you’ve actually met him?”

“Uh, yeah,” she said slowly. Was Alya intentionally being obtuse? She’d met him  _ ages _ ago. Surely she--

Oh. That was Ladybug.

“Yeah, I, uh, met him once when I was with Mr. Stone,” she amended hastily. “He was just… a real jerk, you know? Super arrogant, acted like he was above getting hurt--by Jagged’s sales, that is. Probably just because he’s famous and that’s like, how famous people act, or whatever, but he is  _ not _ pleasant to be around.”

“Huh.” Alya picked up the magazine again. “I mean, you know all about how rude famous people can be.”

“I do?”

Alya laughed. “I mean, Jagged Stone, XY, Ladybug, Chat Noir, Adrien Agreste--”

“Okay, that one’s not fair,” Marinette interrupted. “You know Adrien, too.”

“Okay, but for real, is there anyone famous in this city you  _ don’t _ know?” Alya retorted.

Marinette flushed. “I mean, probably…” She thought for a moment, but she couldn’t deny, she and her parents were pretty well-connected. “Hawk Moth,” she said finally. “I mean, I might know him in real life, but you might know, say, Ladybug in real life, too! If you don’t know they’re famous, it doesn’t count. Besides, that’s like, the bad kind of famous, anyway. I don’t think you get bragging rights for knowing a supervillain.”

Alya flattened the magazine across her face to stifle her laughter. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight and Marinette couldn’t contain the laugh that bubbled up in response.

“I’ll allow it,” Alya said, still giggling. “Because, it’s kind of a Catch-22, isn’t it? If you did know he was Hawk Moth you would know that he’s famous, but then you’d have to turn him into your best friend, Ladybug. And then he’d be in jail, so he kind of wouldn’t be famous anymore, since you can’t really be a supervillain anymore once you get caught, huh?”

Marinette’s mouth dropped open. “Alya, why would you say that?”

Alya raised an eyebrow. “You mean to say you wouldn’t turn Hawk Moth in if you found out who he was?”

“What?” Marinette asked distractedly. “No, of course I would. But Ladybug isn’t my best friend. It’s you, of course. I can’t believe you’d--”

Alya’s face fell and she rushed to interrupt. “No, of course not! It was just a joke, Marinette, I know I’m your best friend, because you’re mine, too, and--” She broke off as she caught sight of the mischievous grin curling across Marinette’s face. “You’re making fun of me.”

“I would never,” Marinette said, the teasing evident in her voice. “Please, continue telling me how much you love me.”

Alya smacked Marinette on the shoulder, but it was half-hearted at best. Her cheeks darkened. “Yeah, yeah.”

Marinette brought her face back into order. “Sorry.”

“Hmmph.”

After a few minutes of contented silence, Marinette rolled back in her chair and stretched her hands out appraisingly. “Done!” she said, showing Alya her nails. It had been a painstaking process, but she’d painted a delicate cherry blossom onto each finger, pink outlined in silver against a white background. “What do you think?”

“Ooh! Marinette, that looks amazing!” Alya gushed. She shoved the magazine aside and laid her hands on her knees, drumming her fingers in excitement. “Do me, do me.”

“With pleasure,” Marinette said grandly, grabbing her case of nail polish and rolling her chair so she was facing Alya on the chaise. “What do you want?”

Alya picked through the bottles with interest, and Marinette watched her tuck a stray curl behind her ear when it fell into her face, and bite her lip as she tried to make a decision, and she almost burst.

“I like this gold,” Alya said, looking up, and Marinette looked down at the bottle she’d lifted up.

“Nothing fancy?” Marinette asked, taking it from her hand and giving it a shake.

Alya sifted through her options again, picking out a black this time. “Maybe… polka dots?”

Marinette took that from her, as well, and set the rest aside. “Spotted nails,” she said, leaning forward and beginning to lay down a base coat. “Hmm, I wonder where you got that idea.” She grinned up at Alya as she switched hands, and Alya picked her wet nails up to her face to blow at them. In between breaths, she stuck her tongue out at Marinette, who snickered.

The base coat down, they waited a few minutes to let it dry, and Marinette finally,  _ finally _ , began to spill.

“Speaking of Ladybug,” she said, putting her hand over Alya’s and gently checking to see if her nails were dry. “I heard you guys talked earlier.”

Alya went to cover her face with her hands, but Marinette pinned them down and kept painting. Her embarrassment was clear on her face. “Oh God. I don't even know what I told her. I barely remember anything from the fight this afternoon.”

“Yeah, I heard,” Marinette said slyly. She picked up Alya's hands and began blowing on the wet nails herself.

“So, uh, what did you hear?” Alya asked, covering her nerves with a casual air. 

“Well, I don't know all the details,” Marinette continued, “but apparently you kept going on and on about your crush. I didn't get a name, though.” Marinette picked up Alya's other hand, once again blowing on her wet nails. She looked at Alya across her hand, her eyes hooded, an innocent look on her face.

Alya let her hand rest in Marinette's, a warm and comforting weight beneath her. Her eyes darted nervously. “No, I, uh--”

Marinette's hand tightened around her own. “Apparently, it was something like,” she began, then affected a slightly higher voice. “‘I’ve had a  _ huge  _ crush on my best friend for, like, three years.’”

Alya shook her head.  “I can't believe Ladybug ratted me out.”

“I think it’s cute,” Marinette grinned.

Alya leaned forward and kissed Marinette. She could still feel her smiling. She pulled away just as Marinette leaned forward to cup her cheek.

Marinette pouted adorably, but Alya looked unrepentant. She frowned at the uncovered brush in Marinette’s hand. “You’re  _ not _ getting nail polish in my hair.”

“Fair enough.” Marinette pulled back, screwed the gold nail polish shut, and reached for a slim paintbrush and the black nail polish to begin Alya's polka dots.

“Speaking of Ladybug again,” Alya said, “I got some pretty interesting footage today, but I’m wondering whether or not I should put it on the blog.” She smiled knowingly at Marinette, but she had no idea what that smile was supposed to mean.

“Why not?”

Alya shrugged, remaining curiously silent until Marinette finished her nails; then, when she walked over to her vanity to rinse out the brush, Alya snatched up her phone.

Marinette sauntered back over to the chaise and curled up next to Alya, snuggling up against her side. “Show me?” she asked.

“Hmm…” Alya pretended to think about it, though her fingers were already tapping over to the camera.

The video started as indistinct noises over a blurry haze; then, as the camera focused, Marinette saw it was herself--or, more accurately, Ladybug--that took up most of the screen. From the angle of the camera, it looked like Alya had been crouched down, possibly hiding behind something, but that was a small mercy, and as a flash of green light zagged just past the camera, it felt like even less than that.

Ladybug’s back was to the camera, which meant that Alya had gotten a great frontal view of Veritas. As they watched, Ladybug was struck by a bolt by the villain’s truth ray, and she staggered back a few feet.

“Ha!” the villain cried, advancing on the heroes. Chat Noir skidded to Ladybug’s side, just a few seconds too late. “I’ve got you, Ladybug!”

“Hardly!” Ladybug retorted. “You won’t win today. Hawk Moth has tried hundreds of times, and we’ll defeat him again, like the hundreds of times before.”

“And you  _ know _ that’s the truth!” Chat exclaimed. He grinned at his partner and readied his baton to attack, but before either of them could make a move, Veritas blasted him with her weapon and he flew backwards, tumbling head over heels in the air until he crested out of sight behind a building.

Veritas smiled wickedly. “So, what will it be now, Ladybug? Defeat me--or save the love of your life?”

Despite herself, and the seriousness of the situation, Ladybug snorted. “Chat Noir isn’t the love of my life.”

Veritas’s expression was now hidden behind Ladybug, but she’d definitely been caught off guard and they could hear the shock in her voice. “He’s not? Then… who?”

“I’m in love with Alya Césaire,” Ladybug said confidently, and a gasp could clearly be heard from behind the camera. Ladybug shook her head, like she was trying to flick away an annoying fly. “That’s not important right now. Give up.”

Veritas seemed to be taking a different approach now, though. She stroked her chin. “Alya… Alya Césaire… You know, I don’t know who that is. It must be someone from your  _ other _ life then, yes?”

Ladybug drew her yo-yo and seemed to struggle for a few seconds. “Yes,” she said tightly.

“Then…" Veritas positively purred, savoring this unexpected victory. "Who are you?”

Ladybug seemed frozen in place, unwilling to move as if that simple action would cause her to open her mouth and speak.

“I’m--”

“Ladybug!” Suddenly, the camera was pointing from a very different angle, and Alya had stood up, throwing herself into view.

Veritas casually levelled her weapon at the camera and fired. Alya staggered back a few steps, and dropped her phone to her side. The rest of the video was obscured in blurry snatches of asphalt and fabric, and the rustling of nearby movement, but Marinette heard her own voice cry out, “Alya!”

Then it ended.

Alya watched Marinette’s face carefully, and she tried to appear casually intrigued, instead of showing the deep panic she felt pounding in her chest. “Huh,” she said carefully.

“That’s it?” Alya asked. “‘Huh?’”

“Yes...?” Marinette looked at Alya incredulously.

“You’re not jealous?” Alya pressed. “Ladybug’s trying to move in on your girl!”

Marinette laughed, much longer than she probably should have, but she was so surprised she couldn’t help it. 

Eventually, it became infectious, and Alya giggled along. “Wh-what?” she asked.

Marinette took a few deep breaths to bring herself under control, and wiped at the tears that had begun streaming down her face. She looked at Alya, who was staring breathlessly back at her.

Marinette shrugged and wrapped her arms around Alya, pulling her tightly to her chest. “I’m the one dating you, not Ladybug,” she said.

Alya smiled. “That’s true,” she said, drawing her in for another kiss. This one lingered, soft and sweet, and when they finally separated they stayed in their comfortable embrace.

Alya rested her head on Marinette’s shoulder, and Marinette laid her head on top of Alya’s. She laced her fingers through her girlfriend’s, and they sighed in contentment as a new song came on the radio. “Really,” she remarked, “Ladybug should be jealous of me.”

**Author's Note:**

> this is on tumblr [here](http://chatchevalier.tumblr.com/post/160959041336/truth-will-out)!  
> if you haven't already it'd be super rad if you checked [aish](http://queenkubdel.tumblr.com) out too she's awesome


End file.
